APRIL 25TH ‘SMART’ COMMITTEE MEETING

Wednesday, April 23, 2014, at Worcester City Hall, 3rd Floor at 5:30.

The City Manager and National Grid submitted information you can access with difficulty via the meeting agenda but because accessing them is so difficult, HMSM uploaded the same documents for your convenience. See below for links to agendaattachments:

HaltMAsmartMeters contacted David Carpenter, an author of the Bioinitiave report for his response to Dr. Hirsh’s submittal. Dr. Carpenter’s said at 12:46 p.m. on 2/4 via email to HMSM:

“The statement about the Bioinitiative Report is totally false. None of the evidence for elevated rates of cancer coming from exposure to radiofrequency radiation are from occupational studies. Most are from long-term use of cell phones.

Finally it is interesting that the local health expert is Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering John Orr. I trust it is Prof. Orr that local residents will go to for treatment of the cancers they develop from exposure to the radiofrequency radiation coming from smart meters.”

As Dr. Hirsh has a) relied on the opinion of John Orr, an electrical Engineer with monetary ties to National grid for his health-related opinion, b) misinterpreted the Bioinitiative Report and other sources, and c) not fulfilled the Order, HaltMAsmartMeters and WorcesterOpts out are calling for the Council to:

1) Reject this submittal which does not comply with the April Order, and

2) Call on the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to issue a true opinion, and

3) Create a ‘smart’ meter/infrastructure Citizens Advisory Committee

Join us in solidarity at Worcester City Hall, 455 Main Street, 3rd floor at 7 pm for the February 4, 2014 City Council hearing. Numbers speak volumes and two minute statements (HMSM has assembled a number of documents you can submit along with your 2 second or two minute comment) will be heard near the start of the meeting. There will be no need to spend hours at the hearing, your mere presence or a statement at the beginning will work wonders.

See you there!

1/21/14 City Council Listens (and hopefully learns)

9 planned and 2 spontaneous speakers spoke on and submitted topics beyond the spin of National Grid, the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities and the telecommunications industry. Members of the Council debated ‘smart’ meters and their infrastructure. (HMSM video or City video) (T&G article & WorcesterMag Blog)

7e. John Dick et al request to speak before City Council in opposition to the National Grid Smart Energy Solutions Pilot Program. Petitioners heard – Referred to Public Service and Transportation Committee

August Public Service Meeting

With just a couple of days notice over twenty people, mostly Worcester residents rearranged their week to attend the four hour workday afternoon committee hearing in order that their opposition to so-called ‘smart’ meters and their infrastructure be felt and their voices be heard. CLICK HERE FOR SOURCED PDF SUMMARY

State Representative Steve DeNatale (D) Fitchburg who posed many relevant, still unanswered questions during a recent state congressional committee hearing on Bill H. 2926 made a surprise (very pleasant surprise!) appearance. Mo Bergman, Councilor candidate <bergman2013.com> was among the speakers who raised excellent points. See below for links and details.

“Utility to hold off on energy-use tower, monitoring system”8/21/13 (link)

Click for HaltMAsmartMeters’ rebuttal to National Grid’s quote misinformation.”

Last week, HaltMAsmartMeters met with Worcester residents (special thanks to the hostess, Leslie Saffer) and Councilor Bill Eddy regarding the duplicitous submission and other related ‘smart’ topics. Next thing we knew the agenda had been amended!

Quite a few folks plan to attend the hearing: hope you can make it!

For more details and other HaltMAsmartMeters news and ‘action items’ click here.

Worcester is the site of National Grid’s $2,973 per meter, 3 new microwave network ‘smart’ pilot, i.e. Ground Zero for MA ‘smart’ metering. If we derail the Worcester pilot, MA ‘smart’ meters & their 90′ towers will be derailed.

o Sure to be a discussion item is the fact that the NStar ongoing pilot in Boston, Newton and Hopkinton is an ‘opt in,’ that is ratepayers must make an informed decision to participate. Conversely, the Worcester pilot is so-called ‘opt out’ that is you must call National Grid within 30 days of receiving a letter you probably tossed in the trash unread or surprise, you are a pilot participant. (Virtually none of the nine to ten thousand participants knows that they did not ‘opt out.’ Are you one of them?)

o At the request of Councilor Bill Eddy, Councilor Philip Palmieri, Chair and the Public Service & Transportation Committee will hear public testimony regarding “Smart Grid”